


Tony Stark, My Hero

by dorkstone



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Family Feels, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Sad Peter, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 05:19:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15260271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkstone/pseuds/dorkstone
Summary: Peter is visiting Tony in the Avengers compound to hang out for the weekend. However, not everything goes as smoothly as planned when the two get in a fight and Peter accidentally lets something slip.





	Tony Stark, My Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place before Infinity War (or Infinity War just never happens, you choose)  
> This is my first ever fanfic, so I hope you enjoy!

Peter loved visiting the compound every other weekend. He was able to hang out with Mr. Stark, upgrade his suit, and relax for a little bit. He also used his time to catch up on homework, and sometimes he was able to get a head start for the upcoming week. He was the luckiest kid in the world, being able to not only visit but also stay in the Avengers Compound, where he talked to THE Iron Man and sometimes War Machine on a biweekly basis.  
  
As Happy pulled up to the curb, Peter was practically bouncing in his seat. No matter how many times he saw the Avengers A on the side of the building, he still always smiled at the sight of it. He also had a hole in the back of his suit from a particularly nasty fight that needed fixing, and his web fluid was running low. Luckily, he was able to make web fluid in the lab instead of at school, so he didn’t have to worry about being caught. Peter needed to ask Tony about a project, which he was kind of nervous about, but he wouldn’t let that spoil his good mood.  
  
The second that Happy stopped the car, Peter thanked him and briskly walked towards the door, excited to start his weekend. He went through all of the security – card swipe, hand scan, etc. – and walked to the elevator, pushing the button for the third floor as soon as he got inside. He looked around; the cool metallic walls looked straight out of Star Wars, only adding to his awe of the place. The elevator dinged, alerting him that he reached his destination, and he made his way to the lab, only stopping to drop off his backpack in his room and grab his suit out of the bag.  
  
The door to the lab opened to reveal Tony Stark looking at a holographic display of the Spider-Man suit. Once Peter stepped inside, Tony looked up to greet him. “Ah, Mr. Parker, glad to see you could make it today.”  
  
“I wouldn’t want to miss it,” Peter replied, grinning. “So, my web fluid is kinda running low, and my suit definitely needs a wash. Oh, I was thinking, maybe we should give Droney-”  
  
“Droney?”  
  
“Maybe we should give Droney a more extreme-temperature resilient exoskeleton. I took care of a fire last week but he’s been kinda off ever since.”  
  
Tony nodded. “Alright. Tell you what, let’s grab a bite to eat first and then we’ll get started. What do you feel like today? Pizza?”  
  
Peter nodded. “Pizza sounds great.”  
  
*  
  
Tony found himself looking forward to Peter’s visits. Peter was like the son that Tony never had, the kid that Tony never was. Peter was a breath of fresh, innocent air to combat the depressing atmosphere that remained after Steve defected, taking most of his teammates. Though Rhodey was on the road to recovery, it still hurt Tony to see his friend with braces on his legs.  
  
They walked together to the kitchen, with Peter continuously talking about knew equations they were learning in physics class and how Ned managed to buy an AT-AT walker Lego set with 1376 pieces (Tony rolled his eyes at that one). Tony took a pizza out of the freezer and set it in the oven. FRIDAY knew to alert Tony to take it out of the oven when it was done.  
  
Back at the kitchen island, Peter sat, looking like he had something on his mind. His hands and feet were tapping everything around him. “Mr. Stark-”  
  
“I told you, you can call me Tony.”  
  
“Tony,” Peter tried it, then made a face. “I just feel uncomfortable calling you that! Anyway, I needed to ask if I could, um, talk about you in a project? I have to write an essay for school about a famous person that inspires me and, well, you inspire me.” He looked away, but Tony could see a blush growing on his cheeks. Tony must have taken too long to answer, because Peter continued, “If you don’t want me to, that’s fine, but I just wanted to ask you since I know you.”  
  
Surprised, Tony stared at Peter. He cleared his throat. “You-you’re inspired by me?”  
  
Peter turned to face him a little and nodded.  
  
“I’d love it if you wrote about me. And hey, I’m not surprised you chose me, I am pretty inspiring.”  
  
Laughing, Peter shot back, “Don’t make me change my mind.”  
  
“I already have the title for you. ‘Tony Stark, My Hero.’”  
  
“Oh, that’s definitely going to be my title.” Peter looked so happy that it made Tony forget about the bleakness of the compound, and if it weren’t for FRIDAY, he would have totally forgotten the pizza too.  
  
They continued to joke as they ate their pizza and headed back to the lab once they were finished. The pair talked about upgrades and updates to the suit, and they both went to work on different projects; Tony was to do some routine maintenance on the suit, which including hooking Karen up to the system, while Peter busied himself with his web fluid.  
*  
  
Tony strode next to Peter once the latter finished packing the webbing into the tiny cartridges. “So, I heard you got hurt this week.” He picked up the suit. “Is that where this hole came from?”  
  
Peter froze, then slowly turned his head to look at his mentor. “How did you know?”  
  
“Doesn’t matter.” Tony put the suit down and crossed his arms. “What does matter, however, is your safety. You know you need to be careful. What happens when you come home covered in injuries? What happens when you don’t come home at all?”  
  
“I can’t just let innocent people get hurt.” Standing, Peter continued, “I have accelerated healing. It was just a little cut and it’s nearly gone now.”  
  
“Your aunt called me worried that you were going to bleed out on her sofa! She’s called me several other times in the past month alone saying that you’ve stayed out past your curfew, or that you’re covered in cuts and bruises and ‘how is she going to send you to school looking like you’ve fallen off a building’ because you probably have.”  
  
Peter looked away. He hated worrying his Aunt May, but it’s not like he wanted to get hurt. He looked back at Tony, meeting his eyes. “It’s my responsibility to help people! If I don’t, who will?”  
  
“Whose responsibility is it to help you? You just need to use that big brain of yours before you get into a fight.”  
  
Peter was getting agitated. “Alright, I get it,” he grumbled. He did understand Tony’s, and Aunt May’s, worrying, but he was a superhero for crying out loud! 'I don’t want to die! I just want to help people.'  
  
“I don’t think you do,” Tony continued, pointing his finger at Peter. “People care about Spider-Man, yes, but they also care about you. Remember what happened when you tried to take on Adrien Toomes by yourself? You survived, but what if you didn’t? What if you died-”  
  
“I GET IT, UNCLE BEN!” Peter shouted, then immediately recoiled. His eyes went wide and glassed over, his lips trembled, his hands shook. He tore out of the room, running down the halls at top speed. In his moment of frustration, he accidentally reacted by memory, and a sad memory at that.  
  
*  
  
Tony blinked, stunned. He had done some research on the kid before taking him to Germany and learned that both of his parents were killed in an accident, leaving him to live with his aunt and uncle. Then, about a week before Spider-Man was seen swinging around Queens, Benjamin Parker was killed in cold blood during a robbery. Tony never asked Peter about it, but during their first conversation he got the impression that Peter felt guilty about his uncle’s death.  
  
Running towards the door, Tony called out, “Peter, wait!” But with Peter’s superhuman strength, he was out of reach. “FRIDAY, find Peter for me,” he tried instead.  
  
“Sure thing, boss,” the AI responded. “He seems to be heading outside.”  
  
“Perfect,” Tony grumbled sarcastically. “Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t leave the property.”  
  
'The last thing I need is Peter to go missing. May would kill me.'  
  
Tony had started to take out his frustrations with the kid’s nonchalant attitude towards safety and Tony’s pent up fears that he forgot to stop and try to calmly reason with him. Tony knew he wasn’t the best mentor – hell, even Steve Rogers, who was now considered a criminal and put a bad taste in Tony’s mouth, would be a better mentor than him. Now Peter was running off to calm himself down while Tony paced around the lab.  
  
“He is climbing the exterior of the Southwest wall and looks to be making his way to the roof.” That made sense. The kid always seemed to be outside on top of a building to clear his head. “Do you want me to initiate lockdown procedures on the perimeter?”  
  
Tony shook his head and sighed. “No, I don’t think he’s going anywhere.” Making his way into the elevator, he pressed the button for the roof and held his head in his hand. 'What do I say to him? Should I give him space?' he thought.  
  
The chime of the elevator woke Tony from his musing. Stepping out onto the rooftop, he took in the atmosphere. The dusk sky gave the landscape an orange hue, and he could see a few stars twinkling in the darkening sky. He could see why Peter wanted to come here to think.  
  
Speaking of Peter, he was sitting at the edge, shoulders hunched and head down. Tony slowly tiptoed towards the spider-ling, not wanting to spook him. “Pete?” he called out in a soft tone, still standing several yards away, giving Peter space.  
  
“That’s what Ben would call me sometimes,” Peter said to no one in particular, his voice somber.  
  
“Do you mind if I join you?” Testing the waters, Tony took three small steps forward. He waited until he saw Peter nod slightly. Sitting down, he asked, “So… do you want to, er, talk about it?”  
  
Peter looked out at the horizon where the sun had just set. “He shouldn’t be dead. If I’d have stopped that robber instead of being petty, Uncle Ben would still be here to lecture me about responsibility, not you.” He paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating. “He was like my father. After my real dad died, he and May raised me like I was their own.” He sighed. “I wish I could’ve at least said goodbye,” he finished, sniffling.  
  
Tony didn’t like comforting people. Hated it. But seeing Peter in this state drove a spike through his heart that overrode any unpleasant feelings. “You don’t know that you could’ve saved him. Maybe you would have died instead, or too. I may not have known your Uncle Ben, but I know he would be proud of you. And that he would forgive you.” Peter looked him in the face. “And, I may not be Uncle Ben, but I sure as hell am proud of you too.”  
  
“You mean that?” Peter sat up a little straighter.  
  
“Every word of it,” Tony replied. “And listen, I’m sorry that yelled at you. It’s just that… I don’t want to see you hurt or killed.” He nudged Peter, causing the boy to crack a small smile. “I don’t say this often, so don’t ask me to repeat it, but I worry about you, and I care about you.” The 'you’re like a son to me' was left unspoken.  
  
Tony opened his arms for a hug, which Peter quickly accepted. Peter cried a little into Tony’s shoulder, but he didn’t mind. They hugged for a minute or two, breaking apart only when Peter ended it. Once the tears were dried, Tony clapped his hands together and smiled at his mentee. “Now let’s work on that report of yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> As I said before, this was my first ever fanfic! If you liked it, leave a comment. If you didn't like it, leave a (nice) comment. Also, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!


End file.
